AHL Morning Skate: Game 2 in Chicago this afternoon

Every morning, take a spin around the AHL ice with recaps and previews, news and notes, facts and figures, and the top headlines from around the American Hockey League.

THURSDAY’S SCORES:

Game 1 – CHICAGO 5, W-B/Scranton 4 (CHI leads, 1-0)

THURSDAY’S THREE STARS:

1. Defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski tallied a power-play goal in Chicago’s Game 1 victory.

2. Alex Goligoski notched a game-high four points (1-3-4) in a losing effort for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

3. Jordan LaVallee posted a goal and an assist in the first period for the Wolves.

SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times ET):

Game 2 – W-B/Scranton at Chicago, 4:00 (CHI leads, 1-0)

2008 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:

Complete Results || Scoring Leaders || Goaltending Leaders

 

2008 Calder Cup Finals – Series “O” (best-of-7)

W1-Chicago Wolves vs. E1-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Game 1 – Thu., May 29 – CHICAGO 5, W-B/Scranton 4

Game 2 – Sun., June 1 – W-B/Scranton at Chicago, 4:00

Game 3 – Wed., June 4 – Chicago at W-B/Scranton, 7:35

Game 4 – Fri., June 6 – Chicago at W-B/Scranton, 7:35

*Game 5 – Sat., June 7 – Chicago at W-B/Scranton, 7:35

*Game 6 – Tue., June 10 – W-B/Scranton at Chicago, 8:00

*Game 7 – Thu., June 12 – W-B/Scranton at Chicago, 8:00

 

*if necessary… All times Eastern

GAME NOTES (all times ET):

Game 2 – W-B/Scranton at Chicago, 4:00

TV: NHL Network, Comcast Channel 100 (Chicago), WSWB-TV 38 (Wilkes-Barre)

Video Webcast: B2 Networks
Official Media Notes (PDF – 503 KB)
The 2008 Calder Cup Finals continue from Allstate Arena this afternoon as the Chicago Wolves and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins suit up for Game 2… The Wolves drew first blood with a 5-4 win in Game 1 on Thursday night… Chicago raced out to a 3-0 lead on first-period goals by Jesse Schultz, Kevin Doell and Jordan LaVallee… Schultz had been held without a point in the Wolves’ entire previous series vs. Toronto… Doell and LaVallee each had a goal and an assist in the opening frame… Defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski scored for the fifth straight game and Bryan Little added his seventh of the playoffs for the Wolves… Kwiatkowski’s streak is the longest such playoff run since Grand Rapids’ Stacy Roest had a five-gamer in 2003… Jason Krog picked up a pair of assists to run his scoring streak to 10 games (9-10-19)… Darren Haydar’s assist was his 118th career AHL playoff point, just one back of Willie Marshall’s all-time record… Haydar remains tied with Jody Gage for the all-time lead in goals (51)… Ondrej Pavelec made 30 saves and moved to 13-6 in the postseason (2.26, .925)… Chicago was 2-for-4 on the power play in Game 1, and is now clicking at 32.1 percent (18-for-56) with the man advantage over its last eight games… Alex Goligoski led the Penguins with a goal and three assists, and his 24 postseason points are one shy of the AHL record for a defenseman, set by Wilkes-Barre’s Chris Kelleher in 2001… Kurtis McLean scored two goals in Game 1 after finding the net just once in his previous 25 contests… John Curry (31 saves) denied Steve Martins’ penalty shot late in the first period, the first penalty shot awarded in a Calder Cup Finals game since 1998… Prior to their Game 1 setback, the Penguins had been 29-0-0-0 this season (including playoffs) when scoring at least four goals in a game, and 10-0 this postseason when scoring at least three… Chicago is 3-0 in Game 2’s this postseason, and is 10-1 all-time in AHL series after winning Game 1… Eight of the last nine Finals have had a one-goal decision in Game 1, and 13 of the last 14 Finals Game 1’s have been decided by either one goal or one goal plus an empty-netter… Game 2 referee Dean Morton won a Calder Cup as a rookie defenseman with the 1989 Adirondack Red Wings… This afternoon will be the Wolves’ 100th game of the season, and the Penguins’ 99th.

 

 

2008 CALDER CUP FINALS LIVE ON NHL NETWORK:

The American Hockey League has announced that the entire the 2008 Calder Cup Finals series between the Chicago Wolves and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be televised live on NHL Network in the United States and Canada. The Wolves’ broadcast team of veteran play-by-play announcer Pat Foley, analyst Bill Gardner and rinkside reporter Judd Sirott will handle the call.

https://theahl.com/news/league/index.html?article_id=8748

MORNING HEADLINES:

 

IN NEED OF A WIN

Jonathan Bombulie, Sunday Voice

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins proved, in a narrow loss in Game 1 of the Calder Cup finals Thursday night, that they can hang with the powerful Chicago Wolves. Of course, that and 10 bucks will get them a small, deep dish with sausage at the original Pizzeria Uno. The real trick, when the puck drops for Game 2 this afternoon, is actually hanging a loss on the Wolves. That will take some major adjustments in a few areas. For starters, the Penguins could try not falling behind by three goals in the first period like they did in Game 1. “We played uptight. We played nervous. We played on our heels,” center Tim Brent said. “You give a team with as much experience as they have and older players like they have that much space and they’re going to burn you.”

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19736995&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=460522&rfi=6

 

LITTLE, BIG PENGUINS SHARE IN THE GLORY

Tom Venesky, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

Like many fans, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins spent Saturday night glued to the television watching the Pittsburgh Penguins battle the Detroit Red Wings in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. For some players, it was watching former teammates with Pittsburgh. Others watched a team they hope to make some day. It’s a rarity for an organization to have its NHL and AHL clubs in the finals in the same season, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins haven’t overlooked the feat. “I think it’s a great story,” said Tim Wallace. “I don’t know how often it’s happened, but with Pittsburgh doing as well as they are and us in the finals as well, it should be interesting.”

http://www.timesleader.com/sports/Little__big_Penguins_share_in_the_glory_06-01-2008.html

 

IT’S MORE THAN LIP SERVICE

Len Ziehm, Chicago Sun-Times

It started so simply. The Wolves had lost three straight playoff games to the Rockford IceHogs and wanted to change their luck. That’s when Colin Stuart came up with the idea that might well propel his team to the Calder Cup, symbolic of the American Hockey League championship. Stuart, a winger, suggested to defenseman Boris Valabik that the beards the Wolves had been growing since the postseason started should go in favor of mustaches. “It went around the locker room like wildfire,” Stuart said. “Pretty soon half the team was shaving, and then the others had to do it, too.” The Wolves have won seven of eight games since the beards turned into mustaches, the last being Thursday’s 5-4 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the first game of the best-of-seven Calder Cup finals.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/wolves/980422,CST-SPT-wolves01.article

 

RED WINGS ENJOY GRAND RAPIDS CONNECTION

Michael Zuidema, Grand Rapids Press

When players talk about the link between the Grand Rapids Griffins and Detroit Red Wings, the party line almost always sounds exactly the same. They don’t advance to the NHL until they’re ready. They receive all the playing time they need with the Griffins. They only have a two-hour drive from Grand Rapids to Detroit. “I think they do a great job of being patient with guys,” Brett Lebda said. “They’re not going to rush you along just because you think you’re ready.” The Griffins became the Red Wings’ primary affiliate on Jan. 24, 2002. Si